Customer Reviews

Snowboarding to Nirvana

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Snowboarding to Nirvana is so exciting that I finished it in only 2 nights - I couldn't put it down. There are really cool spiritual lessons in this book that I will never forget. I've read plenty of books on Eastern philosophy and religion but this one is by far the most fun and inspiring. The meditation techniques explained in the book are great - they are easy to practice and they really work. My intuition is stronger, I feel I'm more energetic throughout the day, I'm happier and more optimistic, and negative feelings and anxieties don't stick around as much! On top of that, the book is full of many adventures and romantic encounters intertwined with some really cool tips on this awesome sport - snowboarding. After reading this book I had to give it a shot! For the women out there - you gotta try it! Read this book and get on the slopes. But beware - you'll get hooked!

Of course I was going to buy ths book! I read the first release, Surfing the Himalayas, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. The first book explained meditation and mindfulness in a more clear and entertaining way than any other Buddhist or Eastern philosphy-type book I've ever read. The second go 'round of Frederick Lenz's intense adventures in the snow covered peaks of the world's largest snowboard park had me crazily wanting to go there myself. I started boarding after reading the first book, and it has effected my whole life - literally. The second volume of Tantric Buddhist knowledge and wisdom is a western Buddhists crown jewel! These days, people who practice self discovery need something different to re-inspire their journey to enlightenment. If you want a new slant on ancient Buddhist teachings, this is what you've been looking for. It's easy to say, but the messages were so clear that I'm literally a changed person because of them. If you read this, Thank you, Frederick Lenz! I love snowboarding, and I love your books! THANK YOU! I am eagerly awaiting your next epic.

This book is not about the adventures of the snowboarder. It's about me, the reader. Each time I pick it up, I can tell how much progress I'm making in my practice by seeing how many new wonders the pages open up for me. If there were no other books for me to read, that would be ok, because Snowboarding has enough to keep me busy for the rest of my lives. It is a work on par with the ancient classics, a gift from Lord Buddha himself!

Fans of Surfing the Himalayas will love Snowboarding to Nirvana. Those who disagree with the alternative spirituality world view (once called New Age) in general will probably also disagree with this book. They may, however, recognize it as the real thing, the work of a key figure in the alternative spirituality tradition."
- Dr. Massimo Introvigne
Director
CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions)
Torino, Italy

With a mischievous sense of humor and a determined refusal to take himself too seriously, Dr. Lenz takes us on a roller coaster ride from the highs of the Himalayas to the lows of smogged-out LA, and leaves us in breathless wonder. I love this book, not only for the purity and beauty of the Buddhist concepts it discusses, but for making them so approachable to a member of Generation X growing up and living in the west. I read this book whenever I need to be reminded that there is more to life than the stressed out world that meets our senses. This book is a breath of fresh air. I recommend it to all spiritual seekers, snowboarders, and people simply seeking new dimensions of light and happiness.

Last year I visited Tibet, where, despite the oppression of the Tibetans, I sensed the amazing spiritual energy of the dazzling Himalayan mountains. With humour and a lively style of writing, Frederick Lenz conveys the spiritual enlightenment to be found in Tantric Buddhism and helps a Western reader to enter easily into that tradition. The book is an enjoyable and illuminating read.
Rev. Marcus Braybrooke
Co-President
World Congress of Faiths
Oxford, England

This book is going to make an incredible movie!"Snowboarding to Nirvana" traces the athletic feats,romantic encounters and magical Buddhist experiences of a young American as he travels to the Himalayas with a backpack and two snowboards to snowsurf the highest and most majestic mountains in the world. Yet, at the same time, "Snowboarding to Nirvana" provides an incredible amount of practical information about how to meditate and bring Buddhist enlightenment and magic into your daily life that is real and not just a collection of nice ideas you read about. Initially, I read the book because it is an inspiring story that frees the spirit and makes the adventures of Jack Kerouac look common-place in comparison. Now, I continue to re-read the book because each time I do I find new ways and practical methods for improving my own life.

I have studied Buddhism both academically and also through my own meditation practice for many years. I think this is a very creative and fun way to present the concepts of Tantric/Vajrayana Buddhism. Some of the reviews that criticize its presentation of Buddhism seem to be coming from the perspective of other branches such as Theraveda Buddhism, which focuses more exclusively on the 4 Noble Truths, Eightfold path etc. While these are part of Tantric Buddhism as well, the Tantric path is much more about shifting states of awareness, and utilizes what might be considered to be 'mystical' or esoteric techniques and rituals to that end. This book introduces that esoteric tradition quite well. It does mix in some New Age concepts, but I accepted those as being more for audience appeal than anything else, and I don't think this detracts from the overall material.

As for actual snowboarding knowledge, it is true that you won't learn how to snowboard from this book! The snowboarding in the book is more of a metaphor for the Tantric meditative path.

Overall I recommend this as a fun starting point for learning about Tantric Buddhism and for starting a meditation practice yourself. Lighten up! This is a novel.

I couldn't wait to read Snowboarding to Nirv once I learned of its existence, after having finished Surfing the Himalayas. The sequel really takes off after Surfing. Where the protagonist leaves off from last time, after studying the mysterious link between Buddhism and the art of snowboarding under the illustrious Master Fwap Sam-Dup, he meets the crazy Oracle (another Enlightened One and good buddy of Master Fwap). Under their watchful eye, he becomes acquainted with a Danish blonde bombshell named Nadia, whom--- surprise, surprise - has been studying Buddhist theory and quantum mathematics for a number of years. After some mind blowing tantric sex with Nadia, she disappears suddenly and he blows off some angst by zipping back and forth between Santa Monica and the Himalayas. Finally he settles down to solve the "riddle of the missing dimensions." With the Oracle's and Master Fwap's help, he performs interdimensional astral travel. Several mini-sections are actually instructional booklets on techniques of meditation and the Buddhist way. Check it out yourself. If you like it that much, it also comes in audiocassette form and you can supplement your enjoyment of this book by looking up Frederick Lenz's accompanying music albums (Ecologie, Surfing the Himalayas, Canyons of Light, Enlightenment, and Cayman Blue) by his band, Zazen. I sure hope Frederick Lenz was right about everything he said in his books (including one semi-documentary of various accounts of reincarnation).

This book was absorbing and easy to read, yet filled with gems of depth, humor and wisdom. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have tried some of the exercizes. This book transformed my life in so many positive ways. I'm grateful to have stumbled upon it. I highly recommend it to anyone who'se not afraid of light, truth and their own enlightenment!